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Showing 3401 to 3425 of 4490 results

3401. Only Matthew…Only Joseph

Matthew 1:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

If you only had Matthew's Gospel, what would you have? Last week we looked at the opening of Luke's Gospel and his version of the Advent narratives, his "orderly account." He begins with Zechariah and Elizabeth and the birth of John the Baptist who would come to prepare the way, then on to Mary and the miracle birth. But if you only had Matthew, what would you have? No Annunciation to Mary No visit to Elizabeth and the Magnificat No detail on John's miraculous birth No enrollment calling people to ...

3402. Zechariah II: Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

The problem was there were just too many priests. All the male descendents of Aaron formed the royal priesthood, and as the years rolled on they multiplied. There were just too many to handle the daily religious routine and ritual of the temple, so they were organized in divisions—Zechariah was in the Division of Abijah—then they were assigned on a rotating schedule, maybe only serving a few weeks every year. Then within that band of servants, they cast lots, like the roll of the dice, to see who would ...

3403. Why Not Now?

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

John E. Harnish

So Philip went down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Wow, if that doesn't carry powerful imagery. I don't know what all it could have meant for Luke or Philip, but I know what it means for us. The road from Jerusalem to Gaza is probably the most critical road in the world—the road which symbolizes all the tensions and conflict of our world; the road most needed and hardest to travel; the road on which the future of the world seems to hang; the road which symbolizes the difficult path to peace in our world ...

3404. A Matter Of The Heart

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Wesleyan theology is, at the heart, a matter of the heart. John Wesley referred to the Methodist experience as "heart religion," and the spirit of Charles Wesley's music goes right to the nurturing of the heart, the depth of the heart in relation to God, the healing of the heart. 1. First, the diagnosis. Let's call it spiritual cardiomyopathy, the hard heart. Cardiomyopathy—the muscles lose their ability to relax and contract, become stiff and brittle, literally a "hard heart." I know a little bit about ...

3405. God’s Wisdom or the World?

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once upon a time there was an old man who lived on the outskirts of town. He had lived there so long that no one knew who he was or where he had come from. Some thought that he had been a very powerful king, but that was many years ago. Others suggested that he was once famous, rich, and generous, but he had lost everything. Still others said that he was once very wise and influential. There were even some who said he was holy. The children in the town, however, thought he was an old and stupid man and ...

3406. In Solidarity with Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

"Rags, rags! Give me your tired, dirty, and old rag and I will give you a new, clean, and fresh one. Rags, rags." That was the cry to which I awoke one bright sunny Friday morning. I sprang from my bed and peered out my second-story apartment window. There he was, the ragman of our town. He was 6'4" if he was an inch, youthful in appearance and strong of build. I had heard so much about him but never actually seen him. I threw on some clothes, bounded down the stairs and out the front door of my apartment ...

3407. Accepting the Lord Once Again

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

He came softly, unobserved and yet, strange to say, everyone knew him. The time was the fifteenth century; the place was Seville in Spain. He came to announce peace and to proclaim the good news. He came to teach and to cure; he came to bring the light. As he walked by the cathedral, a funeral procession for a little seven-year-old girl was just beginning to form. He heard the sobs and pleas of the girl's mother. Moved with compassion he asked the bearers of the funeral bier to halt. He touched the girl; ...

3408. Beware: Hypocrites on Premises

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

David T. Ball

Whenever I happen to be in a conversation with someone about why they don't go to church, it seems like the reason that they almost always give is that they can't stand all the hypocrites. I don't take this personally -- they aren't saying that all churchgoers are hypocrites -- just that there are usually too many hypocrites for their liking. I guess their reaction is understandable. Who would want to go to a church filled with people who don't practice what they preach? That would, at the very least, be ...

3409. Where Is Your Trust?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

George Reed

If it was not Jesus who was asking the question, our reaction to the speaker would probably be something like, "What? Are you nuts? There's a storm out here!" Of course the disciples were afraid. They are in an open boat on a stormy lake without a global positioning beacon, life rafts, or the Coast Guard nearby. The lake is big enough that they would have little chance of being able to swim to shore in a dead calm and here the waves are high and breaking over them while they are still in the boat. It is ...

3410. Coming Apart So We Don’t Come Apart

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

George Reed

The Gospel Reading from Mark is a clear picture of the Christian life. In it, Jesus calls his disciples apart so that he and they can get away from the crowds who have been coming to him. They need a break, a time apart to be alone with Jesus and to refocus themselves on the work that lies before them. After a while, sooner than planned, the needs of the crowds again press in on them and they, and Jesus, are back to work. In our lives as disciples of Jesus, we find that we need to follow this same pattern ...

3411. What’s New?

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Ron Lavin

"What's new?" is a common greeting. There are many answers people give: "A new car." "A new house." "A new boat." "A new suit ... a new dress ... a new coat." Others focusing more on relationships than things answer: "A new boyfriend or girlfriend." "A new husband or wife." "A new friend." Jeremiah, the prophet, focuses not so much on things of the earth or human relations but on a personal relationship with the eternal Lord, a new covenant with God. "The days are surely coming, says the Lord, When I will ...

3412. John the Stall Cleaner

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Prep Time.” Do those two words have as much meaning to anyone here as two other new words to the English language: “Thanksgiving pants.” [Those are pants with elastic or expandable waists.] I won’t ask how many of you are still wearing those “Thanksgiving pants” to church this morning. Anyone who is trying to organize and host a get together during this busy holiday season knows that what takes the most time is “prep time.” Even Rachael Ray, who cheats by having all her veggies pre-washed, her chicken ...

3413. Heresies of the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Un-Christ-like attitudes, not doctrinal creativity, make up the heresies gnawing at the heart of the Church today. In order to avoid complete cardiac collapse, we must address this heart disease and work to eradicate it. In this complex, open-ended, multiple-choice age we rarely dwell on the established doctrinal foundations of our faith. Even less do we seriously entertain the notion of genuinely heretical views undermining the sanctity of those foundations. In its past the Church has been inflamed by " ...

3414. Pit and Rock

Colossians 1:11-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The Bible teaches us to praise God for everything. For everything? Really everything? Yes, everything! We are to praise and thank God constantly, "in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18), "at all times and for everything" (Ephesians 5:20), "always asking God with a thankful heart (Philippians 4:6,TEV). During the height of one of Cyprus' political crises, Sir Hugh Foot became governor of the country. He exchanged telegrams with his father, the Rt. Hon. Isaac Foot. The first, from England, read: "Foot ...

3415. Fighting Fire With Fire

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

To put out fires in our lives and to quench the fires ravaging our world, we need the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in us, a fire which sears as it heals. In the summer of 1994, there occurred the most devastating tragedy in the history of "smoke jumping."Smokejumpers are elite squads of firefighters, parachuting "hotshots," who take great pride in being on the front lines of out-of-control wildfires. Smokejumpers constitute the first and most dangerous stage of defense for wilderness fires. On a windy ...

3416. The Kingdom of God Has Come Close

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The Bible says there are many for whom "the Kingdom of God has come close." Close is not good enough. What is preventing us from experiencing the presence and power of God in our midst? Winston Churchill had just delivered his tremendous "Blood, Sweat and Tears" speech. Harold Nicholson heard it, went home and wrote in his diary: "Winston makes a very short statement, but to the point." (Harold Nicholson, Diaries and Letters 1930-64, ed. Stanley Olson [New York: Atheneum, 1980], 83.) A newspaper editor in ...

3417. Do Not Grow Weary in Well-Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

At the same time Christians are called to rest and not grow weary, we are called to strain for the mark of our high calling and labor for the reign of God on earth as in heaven. In sum, the church is called to be at the same time a rest stop and a rescue shop. There is a Frank and Ernest cartoon that has the two of them riding a road that is marked by an arrow "Road to Success." But up ahead is another sign: "Be Prepared to Stop." In a world that prizes bigness, we need to be reminded that small is ...

3418. Ephesians 2:4-25

Ephesians 2:4-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's Epistle lesson encapsulates much of the Christian faith. Our whole reason for trusting and believing in the gospel message is validated in these few short passages. Verses 4 and 5 clearly define God's greatest motivation as love, merciful, unmerited, unconditional love for the wayward members of humanity. The greatest measure of this love is its activity on our behalf. God's love, working through Christ "saves" us from death, "raises" us to divine heights, and "sits" us with Christ in "heavenly ...

3419. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The entire section of this week's epistle text serves as kind of a warm-up speech for Paul's later focus on the particulars of resurrection. In these first eleven verses of the 15th chapter, however, Paul takes pains to create the atmosphere of a coalesced community, bound together by firm faith, despite the fact that they may still be confused about where that faith may be taking them. Paul begins this chapter by claiming the Corinthians as his kin, joined to him through their mutual experiences with the ...

3420. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Biblical scholars long have taken delight in subjecting John 21 to special scrutiny. The most obvious issue at hand is the awkward "added on" quality of this chapter. John 20:30-31 appears succinctly and solidly to close the book on this author's gospel story. Yet here, with only the barest attempt at some form of connectedness, comes an entirely new unit, with several new points to make and fresh information to share. Not only is chapter 21 most often considered to be a redactor's addition to the original ...

3421. Ephesians 2:4-25

Ephesians 2:4-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3422. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3423. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The gospel text from Mark this week includes two separate pericopes that are interwoven in a typically Markan manner. This technique, known as "intercalation," is found throughout Mark's gospel. As many as nine of these insertions have been tallied, including 3:19b-35; 4:1-20; 5:21-43; 6:7-29; 11:12-19; 14:1-11; 14:17-31; 14:53-72; 15:40-16:8. Scholars do not fully agree on Mark's motive behind his method. The Markan practice of beginning one story, breaking off from it to introduce a second complete and ...

3424. Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

While Colossians contains some theological content that seems distinct from Paul's more common themes, there is no compelling reason to dismiss his authorship. Things that make it suspicious to some seem to be a function of the theological and personal issues Paul and Timothy are addressing. Perhaps Timothy had a more collaborative role in the authorship than is generally recognized (v.1). But our exegesis of these passages will assume Paul's overall authorship. In overall literary style, Colossians ...

3425. Back To Basics: The Three R's of Baptism - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

Baptism is a powerful force in the life of a Christian for two reasons. It is something we share in common. Christians all over the world can say that they were baptized in Christ. You met a Catholic in Ireland. He was baptized. You met a Pentecostal in Nigeria. She was baptized. The second reason Baptism is a powerful force is that baptism takes us back to the basics. Now let me set these two ideas up for you with a couple of stories. You perhaps at one time or another have seen on TV the old black and ...

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